Second Best
by boondockbitch
Summary: "Imagine Loki confessing his feelings for you, to you, on the eve of your wedding to another man." Unnamed OFC receives an unexpected surprise from her past on the morning of her wedding. Loki/OFC Fluff


p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"It rained the day of my wedding./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Like every other maiden, I had dreamed of this day since I was a child. The vision, like most dreams and desires, changed over the years. When I was four, I wanted a long train that was to be held up by kittens. Growing up, it just wasn't practical, so I decided I wanted something knee length to dance in. That was during my dancing days. Eventually, I became a seamstress. I made wedding dresses for other women, always imagining what their gowns would look like on me. None of them looked quite right./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"I found love in a man my mother approved of, and my sister adored. He was Azazel, a kind man with a full heart. He was perfect. He asked, nearly a year into our courtship, and I said yes./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"I watched the rain kissing the stained glass windows of the chapel, waiting. Despite the long coming dreams of this day, a heavy weight sat in my stomach. Mother said it was just nerves, they would go away at the reception. The dress I had decided on was tight in the bodice, laced up the back by my mother's delicate fingers. The rest of it flowed around me like the sea. My sister spent all morning weaving flowers in my braid, and my shoes were perfect. The only thing I hadn't counted on was the rain./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"And him./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Beyond the yellow glass and the patter of rain, I could see someone standing just outside the chapel doors. I knew who he was, even distorted by the pigments of rainbow glass. Standing, I ignored my mother's protest- that if my husband to be were to see me, it would be ruined, and I made my way toward the door./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"My heart was in my throat when I tore the door open. There, a man stopped in his tracks. He had been in a hurry, and now, he stopped to look up at me from the bottom of the steps. His black hair was slick with rain, pushed away from his face so that I could properly see his beautiful eyes. A black suit matched the darkness of his hair, complete with a long, thin scarf around his shoulders./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Loki," I breathed, drawing nearer. I was careful not to step into the rain, but Loki didn't seem to mind the water pouring over him as he ascended toward me./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You look beautiful." He said. His eyes seemed to shine, but it went away as quickly as it had come when he stopped in front of me. His hands hovered at my shoulders, and he smiled./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I haven't seen you in ages, my friend." I tried to keep my voice even, and if he noticed it falter, he didn't mention it. "Where have you been?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I have had.. Things to attend to. In Asgard." He kept his voice low and I looked down at my feet. I'd nearly forgotten about the golden realm. The world of dreams, where Loki had shown me things I never could have imagined. He seemed uncomfortable, but I doubted it had much to do with the damp clothes clinging to his skin. Standing close to him, he smelled of cinnamon and the forest. "I heard you were getting married."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Something in his voice made me look up, our eyes locking. The space between us was slim, and I could feel his warm breath on my face. I clenched my jaw, nodding slowly. His eyes were sad. They had lost the vibrant, blue echo of mischief. Now, I wasn't sure what I saw. Was it fear, perhaps? Or regret?/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"I knew those were my own feelings. But I pushed them away, finding my voice./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""His name is Azazel." I told him. Loki seemed not to hear it. He was far off, in some other world, but then-/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Does he love you?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"I blinked, the question unexpected. I felt myself shiver, blaming it on the cold, winded air. "Yes."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""And you him?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"I gawked at him, and I thought I might melt into the rain myself. A puddle, like the wicked witch. My skin felt hot, and I wondered what exactly he was accusing of me. "Loki, why have you come?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I told you-"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""No." I spat. A feeling washed over me, something I had been pushing away for quite some time. It erupted over me. "You may be the God of Lies, but don't believe for one second I couldn't always see through it."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Loki stepped back from me, his arms falling to his sides. A shadow passed over his features, and I swallowed. "I had to see you. For the last time."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Last?" My voice shook, and Loki turned away from me. "What do you mean, last?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He had stepped into the rain again. His jaw was tight, and I felt my heart begin thundering in my chest. The water fell over his cheeks, giving him the appearance of having cried. But I knew better than that. In all the time I had known him, Loki had never shed a tear./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Go back inside." Loki didn't look at me as he began striding back down the sidewalk. "Marry your Azazel. Make Mother proud."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Anger. Blind anger washed over me, my fists clenching. I pushed back tears that had been threatening to fall since his arrival. "Is that what this is about? You think I'm marrying him for my mother's approval?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Loki stopped, facing me again. "That always was your plan."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I love him!" I shouted. The anger in me shook my voice, and I nearly launched forward, but I held to my place. Loki didn't look convinced, but he didn't speak either. His face was solemn. Perhaps this was the last time I would see him. And it would end the same way the last time had./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"It had been so long, I couldn't tell you what the weather was like or what month it was. All I remember was Loki's face, the moment I told him that he had to go. He couldn't stay, and I couldn't be his. It just wouldn't work. My mother hated him, my sister loathed him, and no matter what I thought I felt at the time, it just couldn't be. I had shut him out. Pushed him away and told him that no, I didn't want to be with him, and he should find someone else./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Then go." He said. His own voice shook, as though he was forcing the words out of himself. "He's waiting for you, right through that door." He pointed towards the chapel behind me, stepping closer again./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"I couldn't control it. I stepped forward, the rain kissing my toes and shoulders. It was light, here, most of the water pouring off the gutters, but the pellets still graced my skin and made me shake./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You didn't answer my question." I growled, trying to maintain my anger. It was preferable to what I was really feeling. "Why is this the last?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I cannot see you again." He spoke matter-of-factly./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Why?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"For a long moment, he didn't speak. He stared back at me, as though I should have known what he was going to say. And maybe I did. Maybe I just wanted him to say so, and maybe, at the same time, I wanted to run back into the church./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Foolish girl," He mumbled. His eyes found mind, and he shook his head. I couldn't look away from him, and all I heard was his voice, the pounding rain, and the rushing of my own blood in my ears. "I wish you nothing but happiness. But I cannot see you once you've married."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Loki," my voice was foreign even to me. "I already lost you once."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Don't you understand?" He was yelling now. Either to drown out the rain, or from some deep hatred, or anguish, or desperation. Perhaps all of it, thrown together in a whirlwind. "My whole life has been wasted in shadows. Cast aside, always second best. To Thor, to my father. And now to you. Don't you see what you've done?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"I couldn't breathe. His accusation roared against the bitter cold, and I was almost dizzy. Tears tugged at my eyes again, and this time, I couldn't hold them all back. They were warm against my cheeks, almost comforting against the wind./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"What have I done?/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I loved you." His words fell from his lips and I wasn't completely sure he meant for them to. But it was too late to stop them. "You were always first. I would have died for you in a heartbeat. I still would."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"My face was soaked now, but there was more to blame than the tears. My dress was weighed down with rain and my feet were sore. I carried myself toward him as fast as I could go, ignoring the protests in my logic that said I should not. My arms flung around him, and I kissed him. He tasted the way I expected he would. Sweet, despite the coolness of his lips. His arm wrapped around my waist, the other at the back of my neck, wrapping in my hair. I clung to him desperately, my heart trying to tear its way out of my chest./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"I forgot about the wedding. I forgot about Azazel and my mother and the flowers in my hair. It was me and Loki, my mouth pressed against his, surrounded by the falling rain. And I made a decision, in that moment. One I should have made years ago./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Like every other maiden, I had dreamed of that day since I was a child. The vision, like most dreams and desires, changed over the years. When it finally came, it was nothing like I had ever imagined it would be. I left the chapel behind. I ran, soaked to the bone in a wedding dress, hand in hand with the one I loved. The wedding dress became just a dress. The flowers fell out of my hair. I left the shoes on the sidewalk./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.1199998855591px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The sun was shining the day of my wedding./p 


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